MDC
wants independent land commission

BULAWAYO - Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC
party has called for the setting up of an independent commission to tackle
the country's divisive land question.

The MDC, which last year formed
a coalition government with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU PF, said a land
and environment commission established by an Act of Parliament should
implement fresh and equitable land reforms meant to "ensure there is
non-discriminatory access to the country's natural resources and
environmental sites by the people of Zimbabwe".

Tsvangirai's party that
has clashed with ZANU PF over key policies including a proposed black
economic empowerment scheme said the commission should comprise five to
seven people appointed by the President with the approval of the
Senate.

The commission's key functions would be to "uphold the principles
of equitable, transparent and justifiable distribution of land (and) to
advise the government and Parliament on all issues relating to the tenure,
distribution and use of land and to ensure the orderly development and
management of the natural environment for the benefit of present and future
generations," the MDC said, in a position paper shown to ZimOnline on
Tuesday.

Land remains a divisive issue in Zimbabwe after Mugabe over
the past decade drove most of the country's about 4 500 large-scale white
landowners off their farms which he went on to parcel out to blacks in a
chaotic and often violent land reform programme that destroyed commercial
agriculture to leave the country facing food shortages.

In addition
critics say Mugabe's cronies - and not ordinary black peasants - benefited
the most from the land reforms with many ending up with up to six farms each
against the government's publicly stated one-man-one-farm policy.

Mugabe
has admitted mistakes in his land reforms but has often rejected calls
especially by the MDC for a review of the land redistribution programme
saying those behind the calls want to return expropriated farms to their
white former owners.

The 2008 political agreement between the MDC and
ZANU PF that led to formation of the Harare power-sharing government calls
for a land audit to establish who owns which land in Zimbabwe in order to
eliminate multiple land owners.

But the audit has failed to take off
because of a shortage of funds and resistance from senior ZANU PF officials
who are multiple farm owners.

ZANU PF hardliners and members of the
pro-Mugabe security forces have also continued seizing more land from the
few remaining white farmers in breach of the inter-party political agreement
as well as a ruling by the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Tribunal that called for an end to farm seizures.

Mugabe, who wields
the most power in the unity government with Tsvangirai, has said Zimbabwe
will not abide by the Tribunal ruling despite Harare being required to do so
under the SADC Treaty.

In an aparent attempt to depoliticise the land
question, the MDC said an independent commission would be given powers to
administer legislation pertaining to land.

The commission would also
be tasked to: "Restore or to ensure transparency, equity and fairness in
land acquisition and resettlement procedures . . . examine legislation and
make recommendations to the government and Parliament for a national policy
on the tenure, acquisition, use and distribution of land with a view to
developing an open and equitable policy." - ZimOnline

Western
governments manipulating KP: Harare

HARARE - Harare authorities on Tuesday accused Western
governments of manipulating world diamond watchdog Kimberley Process (KP) to
frustrate their efforts to sell diamonds from the notorious Chiadzwa
field.

Zimbabwe cannot sell the Chidzwa diamonds until KP monitor
Abbey Chikane, who has already visited the diamond field - also known as
Marange - in the country's eastern districts to inspect the mining
operations of firms operating in the area, certifies them for release on the
international diamond market.

On Monday High Court judge Barat
Patel granted the government permission to dispose diamonds belonging to
London-based mining firm Africa Consolidated Resources (ACR), who hold legal
title to the Marange diamond claims, but the gems have to be first cleared
by the KP.

ACR who were kicked off the diamond field and replaced by
the government owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) which
formed two joint venture companies - Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Miners -
with South African investors to exploit the resource had asked the court to
stop the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), ZMDC, Mbada
Diamonds and Canadile Miners from selling the diamonds.

The
decision by the High Court came as Harare authorities said they are
beginning to feel that they are being taken for a ride by Western
governments who are manipulating the KP to delay the return of South African
national Chikane to inspect the diamonds.

"Due to the internal
consultative process within the KP working group, which may be concluded
within the next few days or weeks then can we only decide on the date and
day he (KP monitor) will come," a senior government official told
ZimOnline.

"As long as the KP has not certified the diamonds, no
exports will be made. The KP monitor has to examine the diamonds from
Marange with the view to certify them.

"However, we feel that
the decision not to allow (Abbey) Chikane to come here is deliberate as it
is meant to frustrate us. The situation is far from normal, we do not
understand why we are not being allowed to trade our diamonds," said the
official.

Marange is one of the world's most controversial diamond
fields with human rights groups accusing soldiers sent by the government to
secure the field from illegal miners after the expulsion of ACR of gross
human rights abuses.

Zimbabwe escaped a KP ban last year but was
given until June this year to regularise mining operations in Chiadzwa and
comply with the international diamond watchdog's
requirements.

The KP monitors the diamond trade worldwide in
order to prevent the sale of conflict diamonds to sponsor rogue regimes or
rebel armies. - ZimOnline

Sources said the Gaborone government informed Mr. Tsvangirai
the funds will only be released when parties in the unity government speak
with one voice and have fully implemented the Global Political
Agreement

Sandra Nyaira | Washington 27 April 2010

Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai met in Gaborone on the weekend with President Ian
Khama of Botswana to brief him on the Harare unity government - snubbing
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad whose visit was strongly opposed by
Mr. Tsvangirai's formation of the Movement for Democratic
Change.

Political sources said Mr. Tsvangirai has become more concerned
about ZANU-PF's failure to fully implement the Global Political Agreement
which gave rise to the inclusive government formed in February
2009.

The prime minister and Mr. Khama also discussed the promise by
Botswana to open a credit line of some $70 million dollars to help revive
Zimbabwe's economy.

Sources said the Gaborone government informed Mr.
Tsvangirai the funds will only be released when parties in the unity
government speak with one voice and have fully implemented the Global
Political Agreement.

James Maridadi, spokesman for Mr. Tsvangirai, told
VOA Studio 7 reporter Sandra Nyaira that officials in the Botswanan capital
expressed concern about the non-fulfillment of the GPA in the past 14
months.

Political analyst Joy Mabenge said that like other donors,
Botswana wants to see real reform before releasing funds which might
otherwise be wasted due to a political environment unsuitable to economic
recovery.

UNICEF and the World Health Organization will support the
Ministry of Health drive to immunize all Zimbabwean children between the
ages of six months and 14 years

Sylvia Manika and Brenda Moyo |
Washington DC 27 April 2010

Zimbabwe's parliamentary committee on
health and child welfare heard testimony on Tuesday from officials of the
Ministry of Health as to why children continued to die of measles when
outbreaks of measles were first reported in September 2009, as correspondent
Sylvia Manika reported from Harare.

The United Nations Children's
Fund or UNICEF, and the World Health Organization will support the Ministry
of Health drive to immunize all Zimbabwean children between the ages of six
months and 14 years.

UNICEF Zimbabwe communications chief Micaela De
Sousa told VOA Studio 7 reporter Brenda Moyo that the campaign will go
beyond areas in the country east where the spread of the disease has been
fostered by the refusal of some religious sects to vaccinate their children.

Mutambara
rules out elections next year

HARARE - Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, leader of
the smaller faction of the MDC, has once again dismissed suggestions that
fresh elections will be held next year.

Mutambara says the three
political parties in the coalition government should concentrate on reviving
the economy. Mutambara's party is part of government by default, having lost
the March 2008 elections heavily.

Speculation is widespread that
Mutambara is mortified by the prospect of a dismal performance in any future
election.

He said statements from Zanu-PF and the mainstream MDC, led by
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, calling for fresh polls next year, were
political gimmicks.

He told The Daily News Tuesday that people should
not waste time talking about an election.

"Please dismiss and
disregard this notion (elections next year)," said Mutambara. "I have heard
talk of elections from my colleagues in government, Zanu-PF and MDC
-T.

"Spread this word - there will not be an election in Zimbabwe next
year.

"People and politicians should be talking about economic plans that
will revive our economy and increased levels of investment. We are not ready
for election.

South African President Jacob Zuma is reportedly
pushing for elections as early as April 2011. "

An early election,
analysts say, would be suicidal for Zanu-PF because President Robert
Mugabe's party may never regain absolute power after losing the
parliamentary majority in 2008.

Tsvangirai's MDC insists on a new
people-driven constitution and sweeping democratic reforms that create
security for the population, the freedom to campaign, equal access to the
media and an even political playing field before Zimbabwe can hold elections
that are credible, free and fair.

Zimbabweans want a guarantee that there
will not be a repeat of the June 27, 2008 period, during which more than 300
MDC supporters were allegedly killed, thousands tortured, injured or
displaced by state security agents, Zanu-PF militia and war
veterans.

Some still insist on justice on the perpetrators of the
violence while others say the government should set up a truth and
reconciliation commission so that offenders may make public
confessions.

The organ on national healing, established by the coalition
government, has been largely dismissed as a tame solution to a culture of
violence with impunity.

According to a report titled Fighting for a
New Constitution: Human Rights Violations Experienced by Female Members of
the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) launched last week in Harare, 90
percent of the women interviewed said a truth and reconciliation commission
should be established.

Ninety eight percent were of the opinion that
people who committed violence against women should be
prosecuted.

While the situation has improved following the Global
Political Agreement (GPA), Zimbabweans argue that elections should be held
after achieving national healing.

Legislators interviewed by The
Daily News agreed that national healing should be prioritised before
elections are held.

The legislators said Zimbabweans were concerned about
bread and butter issues and would prefer to see the economy improve first
before elections are held.

Police
request more evidence against Chiyangwa

HARARE - Police in Harare have called for more evidence to beef
up an ongoing probe into allegations of irregular land acquisition by
controversial property businessman Phillip Chiyangwa.

Harare city
council early this month filed a fraud report against Chiyangwa, who stands
accused of fraudulently obtaining prime land from some plush suburbs in
Harare.

Police from Harare's CID Law and order division on Tuesday
invited Councillor Charity Bango to Harare central police to furnish them
with further details into the probe.

"I was called to Harare Central
by police from CID Law and Order who told me to furnish them with more
details on the report as soon as possible," said Bango, a councilor in
Harare's Ward 14.

She was accompanied by human rights lawyer Alec
Muchadehama when she reported to the police.

Bango, who said she
hardly spent 10 minutes with the police, initially filed the report against
Chiyangwa two weeks ago in her capacity as acting Mayor.

Chiyangwa is
jointly being accused with two city authorities, Cosmas Zvikaramba, the
city's finance director and Psychology Chiwanga, whois director of urban
planning.

The two are alleged to have fraudulently altered documents in
order to transfer title to Chiyangwa.

Chiyangwa, who has publicly
boasted of owning a fifth of Harare, denies the allegations of land theft
against him.

Chiyangwa's land theft allegations surfaced early this
month.

The city claims he was allocated tracts of land by the authorities
without following the proper procedures.

The allegations are based on
a recent 54-page probe on land sales and leases conducted by the city
council which was sanctioned by Harare Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda.

The
probe, which was led by Ward 17 councilor Warship Dumba, was followed by
newspaper reports about the flamboyant businessman's land
dealings.

Stung by the newspaper reports, Chiyangwa quickly filed
criminal defamation charges against the Mayor and his councilors leading to
the arrest of Masunda and eight councilors who were members of the
investigating team.

Observers say the police acted under pressure from
top Zanu-PF officials to intimidate the council in a bid to thwart any
further probe into the matter which has also implicated Zanu-PF stalwart and
Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo.

Chiyangwa, a former
Zanu-PF legislator, claims the report by the city council was fraught with
falsehoods which were intended to injure his person and that of his
companies.

Masunda and his co-accused appeared in a Harare court last
week where they were remanded out of custody to May 6.

Four
journalists from the Zimbabwe Independent newspapers are set to testify in
the matter.

Nhema,
Maluleke differ on Gonarezhou invaders

MASVINGO - Environment and Natural Resources Minister Francis
Nhema has clashed with Masvingo governor Titus Maluleke over the fate of
over 720 families who invaded Gonarezhou National Park in Chiredzi
district.

Maluleke insists that the invaders have to stay put in game
reserve while Nhema says they must be removed.

On Tuesday, Maluleke
said the settlers were only reclaiming their land.

"We have shelved all
the plans to relocate these people, and anyone who thinks that they should
go is just day-dreaming," said Maluleke.

"These people are not
interfering with anything in the park. After all they are just reclaiming
their land."

However, Nhema, who has been opposed to the invasion of
sanctuaries by villagers, was adamant that the invaders had to be evicted
before the end of next month.

Nhema said that the envisaged Great
Limpopo Transfrontier Park would never be a success if the invaders remained
in the park.

"I have always said that these people should go and be
allocated land somewhere else before the kick off of the 2010 World Cup
soccer showcase in South Africa," said Nhema.

"The idea of the Great
Limpopo Transfrontier Park was to attract tourists ahead of the 2010 World
Cup. This means the invaders should be removed by the end of next
month."

The 2010 World Cup kicks off in South Africa in
June.

Hordes of villagers, mostly Zanu-PF supporters, moved into the
expansive animal sanctuary at the height of farm invasions about ten years
go; they have since refused to move out.

Government had initially
planned to relocate them to the nearby Chizvirizvi Ranch but the villagers
resisted the move.

The villagers, from the Chitsa clan, say they are
claiming the land because it belongs to them.

The Great Transfrontier
Park would have seen the merger of Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park,
South Africa's Kruger National Park, and Mozambique's Limpopo National
Park.

The move to merge the three sanctuaries was designed with the
intention of initially attracting tourists flocking into southern Africa
during the 2010 World Cup.

Zimbabwe risks being left out of the
project because of its failure to comply with certain requirements, among
them the ejection of all the invaders from Gonarezhou.

The goverment
is also expected to upgrade the Buffalo Range Airport so it meet
international standards as well a constructing lodges in the
Gonarezhou.

Of these requirements, Zimbabwe has only managed to
construct the lodges.

MDC
probes violence at headquarters

HARARE - The mainstream Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) has ordered an urgent investigation into violent clashes between party
youths and security staff at its Harvest House headquarters in Harare about
two weeks ago.

The MDC youths are reportedly unhappy that party leaders
are sidelining them when hiring people for internal jobs.

The youths
allege that the party leaders seem to favour young university graduates and
skilled people for jobs, ahead of the MDC Youth Assembly members, many of
whom are said to be school dropouts.

However, the youths insist they
qualify for basic jobs.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the violence
represented a gross violation of the founding principles of the party and
its dedication to non-violent, democratic struggle.

"Irrespective of
the claim by the youths that their actions were prompted by genuine
grievances, the fact that they acted unilaterally, by-passing the party's
internal procedures and undertaking acts that violate the spirit of the MDC
has resulted in unreserved condemnation and definitive action by the
leadership," Chamisa said.

The violence broke out after some members
of the MDC Youth Assembly, allegedly attempting to force their way into the
building, were blocked by security staff.

MDC chief executive
Toendepi Shonhe is said to have escaped unhurt after he was harassed by the
MDC youths.

The clashes are reported to have taken place while MDC leader
and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was in the building holding
meetings.

The standoff began when the party opened a shop at Harvest
House to sell MDC regalia. MDC Youth Assembly members had hoped to be hired
to work in the shop.

The youths were furious when they were not
offered jobs, saying they were being sidelined even for the most basic
jobs.

In another development, Ian Makone, the Secretary in the Prime
Minister's Office, has been accused of trying to clandestinely reassign
Cabinet powers to the Council of Ministers chaired by
Tsvangirai.

According to a report in the state-controlled Herald Makone
is said to have tried to summon all permanent secretaries to the Council of
Ministers, and in the process get them to report to the Prime Minister and
not to their line ministers.

However, these attempts were said to
have been blocked by Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa,
who wrote to the Minister of State in the PM's Office, Gorden Moyo,
explaining the constitutional position.

World
Cup arrivals drop as world recession bites

THE anticipated arrival of at least 500 000 football fans
at the World Cup 2010 tournament now appears to be nothing but hot air. The
numbers are not adding up, much to the chagrin of the tourism and
hospitality industries in the whole of Southern Africa.

The Daily
Telegraph, a newspaper published in Britain quoted FIFA officials as saying
the number of soccer fans expected to arrive in South Africa had dropped to
220 000.

This has dealt a severe blow, not only to the South African
economy and its tourism sector, but also to neighbouring countries such as
Zimbabwe, which expected to harvest a rich yield from the soccer
showcase.

Whilst the rippling effects will negatively impact on Zimbabwe,
the country was totally ill-prepared for the visitors. The road
infrastructure is still a glaring hazard to motorists, and owing to
budgetary constraints nothing much had been done to upgrade
facilities.

According to the Sunday Times (South Africa, 25 April 2010),
thousands of homeowners in South Africa who were hoping to cash in on the
World Cup by renting out their properties to international visitors are
battling to find tenants.

Foreign soccer fans are showing little
interest in private homes even with rentals dramatically slashed to secure
last minute bookings.

The Sunday Times also revealed that 85 percent of
the three million World Cup tickets have been sold to South Africans,
meaning that fewer international fans are expected to attend the soccer
showcase.

In 2007 international business consultants, Grant Thorton
projected that the World Cup would rake in R21.3 billion into the South
African economy and create 159 000 new jobs. The figures were revised
downwards by another international consulting firm, which estimated that
350 000 visitors would spend R15 billion.

Meanwhile, an upbeat
President Jacob Zuma was quoted in Botswana's Mmegi online newspaper (26
April 2010) while glowing with optimism, on the occasion of the 50-day
countdown to World Cup kick-off on 11 June 2010.

Said President Zuma:
"What is happening in the country at the moment, is quite a marvel to watch.
The nation is seized with exhilaration and great anticipation. The flags and
colours of the country are on display all over, in the cars, in houses, and
in the attire."

He added that the World Cup tournament would contribute
R4.9 billion and create 66 813 jobs (compare these figures with original
estimates by consulting firms of R21.3 billion revised to R15 billion and
159 000 new jobs).

Another Online paper E-Turbo News reported that
the South African Government had spent a whooping R33 billion on the
tournament building world class stadia, and improving infrastructure such as
roads, railways, telecommunications and transport.

Early this year,
Match, FIFA's hospitality arm released 500 000 beds they had booked back to
the market as it became clear that fewer international soccer fans would
travel to South Africa.

The Associated Press reported that FIFA still had
355 000 tickets to sell in eight weeks before the tournament. FIFA has been
forced to offer cheaper tickets to avoid a public relations disaster of
empty seats at stadia.

Economists say the combination of the global
financial crisis, expensive long haul flights to South Africa and
prohibitively expensive hotel accommodation contributed to the decline in
the number of visitors expected to attend the 2010 World Cup.

An
economist Mike Schussler was quoted by E-Turbo News as saying:"Our own greed
contributed to it (drop in numbers) through expensive hotels prices,
flights, etc. People saw it as a get-rich-quick scheme. Guesthouses outside
the host cities will see little or no visitors at all."

Another
economist from Investment Solutions, Chris Hart said he was extremely
disappointed by the decrease in numbers of foreign visitors expected at the
tournament. He also attributed the blame to the recent murder of Afrikaner
leader Eugene Terreblanche and stories doing the rounds about sale of bullet
proof vests and crime as reinforcing perceptions that South Africa is a
lawless society.

Owners of small guest houses and bed and breakfast
(B&B) joints in South Africa are devastated.

The owner of Chanza
B&B Liz Chanza moaned: "They (Match) are very cruel. They dumped us at
the last minute. I hate Match for what they did. They wanted to take the
bread out of our mouths."

Match had also booked 45 000 return tickets on
South African Airways - operated local flights, but reduced the total to
only 1000. This led to a drop in airfares during the World
Cup.

"We are disappointed that it may be fewer than we
thought, as we expected 450 000 people including the teams, their managers
and partners, as well as the entire international media. Tantalias felt
sorry for those who expected to make a fortune from the month-long
tournament adding: "Tourism is a confidence thing and the current economic
climate in Europe is fragile."

As for Zimbabwe, poverty may have been a
blessing in disguise. Entrepreneurs would have spent colossal sums of money
sprucing up their properties anticipating visitors who would not show up.

Savings
Spurned in Zimbabwe Water Purification

BULAWAYO, Apr
27, 2010 (IPS) - Zimbabwe spends an estimated 100 million dollars a year
importing aluminium sulphate for water treatment plants. But a local
entrepreneur has developed a technique to extract the needed compound from
kaolin and flint clays abundantly available within the country.

In
2005, Alex Saurombe, a mining surveyor by training, funded researchers at
Bulawayo's National University of Science and Technology to look for a way
of producing aluminium sulphate from the clays, vast reserves of which are
found in the Chivumburu area of Rutenga in Masvingo province, 450 km east of
Bulawayo.

With a loan from the Innovation and Commercialisation Fund
of Zimbabwe's Ministry of Science and Technology, the technique was further
refined into a commercially-viable industrial process.

The clays have
a high concentration of aluminium oxide, which reacts with sulphuric acid to
produce aluminium sulphate. Aluminium sulphate is an industrial chemical
that causes impurities in water to curdle and settle to the bottom for easy
removal.

Bulawayo alone goes through five tonnes of the the stuff every
day. The city's deputy director of Engineering Services, Ian Mtunzi, told
IPS, "We buy the chemical from local agents who complement what they can
source locally with imports from South Africa."

According to
Saurombe, these local agents have strong political connections which have
interfered with the construction of a processing plant since 2005. At the
time, he said, they had planned to produce the aluminium sulphate locally at
a cost of about about $68 a tonne.

Unofficial estimates put the cost of a
tonne of imported chemical at between $300 and $450. State-owned Zimbabwe
Phosphate Industries also produces it within the country, but water
engineers in the capital, Harare, have reported problems with the quality of
supply. "These (political connections) prevented me getting this venture
to fly," Saurombe told the IPS. "We approached everyone from the
Infrastructural Development Bank to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe itself
without luck. We had signed an agreement with the Mwenezi District Council
to participate and build a township for the plant and then we (would only
have needed to) borrow $7 million for the plant."

He claims he would
have been producing 80,000 tonnes a year by now, for both local and export
markets. Saurombe has now abandoned the idea of setting up production in
Zimbabwe; he has submitted an application to build a plant in Swaziland
instead.

Meanwhile, the city of Bulawayo and other urban centres struggle
to find funds to treat water.

"We have received reports from
concerned residents in Magwegwe West suburb about brown water coming out of
their taps, but council has said it is safe despite the doubtful colour,"
the coordinator of the Progressive Bulawayo Residents Association, Rodrick
Fayayo, told IPS. Many residents routinely boil their water as a
precaution.

Since 2008, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has
bailed out the council by a donating the bulk of its aluminium sulphate
needs to ensure Bulawayo had safe drinking water.

Even with this
assistance, the city council does not know where it will find the $20
million dollars it needs to rehabilitate its water treatment works. Revenue
is further constrained by unpaid bills from residents and government
buildings amounting to more than $3 million.

The more than $100
million a year being spent on needlessly expensive aluminium sulphate would
go some way towards the rehabilitation of water treatment works for a number
of cities in Zimbabwe.